News

Davis, Calif. - 6/15/07 - A $420,750 grant over three years will fund a new position for an extension veterinarian in shelter medicine - believed a first for the United States.

Denver, Colo. - 6/12/07 - The Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) released a Canine Cancer Campaign (CCC) poster to help veterinarians educate their clients about cancer risks in dogs.

Santa Fe, N.M. - 6/12/07 ? Saving Animals Across Borders (SAAB) announced today the launch of Spay New Mexico, a one-month free spay/neuter program for dogs and cats belonging to income-qualifying families.

Seattle, Wash. - 6/11/07 - The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) 25th Annual Forum set an attendance record even before the hosting of the featured pet food recall panel, scheduled for Saturday, June 9.

New York - 6/7/07 - Trends in pet travel, home assistance and convenience will catapult the pet supplies market to $11 billion by 2009.

SHAUMBURG, Ill. - 6/5/07 - The 4.7 million people bitten by dogs in 2006 spurred the creation of a tri-sponsored Dog Bite Prevention Week and introduction of a Congressional resolution, by U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, to recognize the week and prevent future dog bites.

Ithaca, N.Y. - Patient care and life in general are moving on at the Feline Health Center, part of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, but people who work at the center agree things haven't been the same – and probably won't be for quite some time – since the death of the center's director, James R. Richards, DVM.

Recently, one of our technicians decided we should put filled prescriptions up front next to the receptionist rather than in the back.

Swedesboro, N.J. - A wrongful-death suit alleging Wedgewood Pharmacy - the largest veterinary compounding pharmacy in the nation - improperly compounded drugs was dismissed by a U.S. district court after testing confirmed the administered product was made correctly.

Horse injuries at the nation's racetracks might be reduced significantly if track veterinarians and officials had better informational tools in making pre-race assessments of horses and track conditions, experts say.

Denver, Colo. - The American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) Executive Board reaffirmed "Guidelines for veterinary hospice care" after a committee advised that the guidelines continue to be referenced and used.

Nothing will help nip an investigation faster than a clearly maintained drug record book.

Gainesville, Fla. - A two-year study on the prevalence and spread of canine influenza received a $78,000 research grant from the Morris Animal Foundation, American Humane Association and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). University of Florida expert Dr. Cynda Crawford is leading the study.

Denver, Colo. - Colorado's governor inked a new practice-act statute that requires DVMs to report suspected animal abuse. Supported by organized veterinary medicine, the statute change is meant to improve protection of animals and people.

I have enjoyed reading Veterinary Medicine's interviews with veterinary leaders. When I picked up the December 2006 issue, I was especially pleased to see the interview with Dr. Robert L. Leighton.

We tend to reminisce about the good old days, but not all things were rosier back then.

Veterinarians are seeing fewer cases related to the nation's ongoing pet-food crisis and hundreds are participating in an online survey they hope finally will solve the mystery of what caused so many pets to become ill and die.

Over my four decades as a veterinarian, I have been privileged to meet and retain many fine clients. You know the type – those who seem more like close friends than a source of practice revenue. I feel a loyalty to those pet owners, and have a notion that the feeling is mutual.

Many believe the growth of specialty practices benefits the entire profession.

Lansing, Mich. - Michigan created a veterinary State Animal Response Team (SART) to act as first responders during emergencies and disasters.

Washington - Dr. David Acheson was appointed assistant commissioner for Food Protection, a newly created role within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide advice and counsel on food-safety and food-defense issues.

AVMA's position: No assessment of animal welfare is complete unless all elements are considered.

Denver - The fight against canine cancer received $500,000 over the next five years from the Golden Retriever Foundation (GRF).

Brea, Calif. - Pyroderma and benign skin cancer topped the list of skin-condition claims submitted by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) policyholders in 2006.

West Lafayette, Ind. - Purdue's small-animal teaching hospital earned accreditation through the American Animal Hospital Association.

It was a real pleasure to read Dr. Miller's column in the April issue on admitting our mistakes.

Hot weather requires an increase in water intake ... to compensate for sweat and respiratory losses.

As many of you now know, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine professor Dr. James R. Richards died on April 24, after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident.

Combine more than 14.6 million asthmatic people in the United States with more than 61.5 million playful pet dogs, and it's a sure bet that some curious Fidos will bite into their owners' life-saving inhalers.

Greensburg, Kan. - When warning sirens wailed just before 10 p.m. on Friday, May 4, residents of this oil, gas and farming town sought cover, bracing themselves for a storm. What they didn't know was that, while most of them would survive the F-5 category tornado, at least 11 people and almost their entire city would succumb to the power and brutality of 205-mph winds.